The instant invention relates to a process for air conditioning, in particular to humidify and/or temper air which is supplied in the form of an air stream to a humidification zone, whereby cooled water is sprayed into the air stream as a function of desired air conditioning parameters.
A process of the type mentioned above is known. If for instance air is removed from a room to be air-conditioned and is cooled and then fed to an air humidifier, air temperature and relative humidity of the air can thus be influenced in a desired manner in order to create the desired climate by means of the air fed back into the room. To control and regulate the air conditioning parameters (in particular temperature and relative air humidity) a method is known by which part of the air taken from the room is fed to a bypass which skips the humidification device (air washer). If a room sensor for example detects excessive air humidity or a room air temperature that is too low, the air to be blown into the room is mixed with air from the bypass, which means that the air supplied to the room consists of one part coming from the air humidifier and one part going through the bypass. The latter part is also called bypass air. The desired mixture ratio can be adjusted by means of suitable air throttles. The cooling of air mentioned above is effected by means of a heat exchanger which precedes the air humidifier or the bypass. To convey the air, a supply ventilator is provided which is upstream or downstream of the cooling apparatus. Furthermore a return ventilator is required which is located downstream of the air humidifier or the bypass and returns the conditioned air into the room. It is a disadvantage in the known process that the return ventilator produces energy which is added to the heat load occurring in the room. To compensate for this the total air fed to the room must be increased so as not to change the room air parameters. The increase of air mass may be in the area of a factor of 1.1 to 2. Overall, individual components will be larger and also more expensive as a result.